That Girl
The Ink Well Creative Nonfiction Writing Prompt #16: Friendship
"That Girl!" She’s so alien to who I am now that it’s hard to remember what her motivations were; her focus.
She passed the final high school exams well enough to get into varsity. She signed up for a degree that she had little interest in because that was the only course she could get financing for, a legal degree or no degree. So she made her choice. She didn’t fight it; she didn’t secretly sign up for "arts" or "science" instead.
So I often wonder if she belongs to me; how did she become me?
When Orientation Day arrived, she dressed in her best torn-up jeans and white calico button-down shirt and went out into the world of education to find her future.
First impressions count. The first thing she saw in that great hall teaming with youth and energy was a man, well not exactly a man; a boy-man.
And he was gorgeous. Gorgeous!
He was tall, had shoulder-length black hair, and the bluest eyes "That Girl" had ever seen.
"That Girl" had not engaged the boy-man in conversation. She didn’t know a damn thing about him.
…but, she wanted him.
She made a decision on that first day of big-school; the decision had absolutely nothing to do with school, she was totally focused on beauty.
She had the weirdest dreams in her silly head. She was determined from the start...
"He will be my boyfriend." That is, honestly, what she decided—straight away!
He was signing up for the same course, so she put herself in his way.
In those first few days, he had much difficulty getting around her. He couldn’t see past her; she was determined.
He’d already made friends. "That Girl" made friends with his friends. Without warning they were a group… Barbara, Roy, Mark, and "That Girl." Roy and Barbara were an item, so that was perfect for her—she could "cultivate" Mark.
She had him at her mercy already. She was "fakely" perfect, so that he’d notice.
Mark tested out for a position as the varsity DJ. The "job" involved entertaining the students frequenting the main canteen. It was extremely prestigious, and, of course, he got the position easily. He had the most adorable Scottish accent; it didn’t take long for the "Mark Fan Club" to burgeon.
...and, of course, the prestige cast stars into "That Girl’s" eyes and made her much, much more determined.
Roy was a musician, and he was dead set on forming a band. Without much ado, they were jamming together every spare moment that they had. "That Girl" could sing, and that’s what sealed the deal. Mark finally asked her for her hand-in-cohabitation and she jumped at the chance.
Oh, the glory!
"That Girl" was so enamored with herself and her new-found status that she failed to notice that Mark had very little to say for himself; she failed to notice that the person she spoke to, the person she came to rely on, was Roy.
Roy was brilliant; he was patient and keen to teach any skills that he had, particularly when it came to music. "That Girl" gravitated like a moth to Roy’s flame. The group of four played together and studied together; they were always together, but Roy and "That Girl" were the core, or at least that’s how it seemed.
In the swirl of social interaction; the great dynamic of staging music at venues and the partying that inevitably ensued; "That Girl" was with Roy. Mark became an afterthought. Strangely, he didn’t really notice; he was enjoying his fame with unequaled delight.
On a rainy night, "That Girl’s" mother called her home to attend to a family crisis. Mark took her home and stayed over to wait it out. "That Girl" woke up the following morning and, over a breakfast of muffins and coffee, asked Mark to leave; she told him never to come back. She gave no warning; she took no heed of his feelings or his image. Her selfishness was astounding!
Of course, within weeks she was going out with Roy. The band was cast asunder, friendships were smashed, and she basked in the glow that was Roy.
She fell in love. Perhaps that’s when she began to grow as a human being, to learn about empathy, sympathy, decency, friendship, and karma.
Eventually, of course, "That Girl" and Roy split.
She suffered; she really, really did.
…and she deserved it.